


In My Dreams

by ahsagitarius



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Captain Swan Secret Santa 2016
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-27
Updated: 2016-12-27
Packaged: 2018-09-12 17:48:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9082969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ahsagitarius/pseuds/ahsagitarius
Summary: Emma keeps seeing the blue-eyed stranger she met at the club in her dreams. My gift for my CSSS @xhookswenchx





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [xhookswenchx (ReluctantPrincess)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReluctantPrincess/gifts).



> Merry Christmas, Cee! I'm your CSSS! I had a great time getting to know you and I'm so happy I've made a new friend! You were so fun to talk to and I really hope you like your gift! Thank you for being patient and I'm sorry once again for it being late! Enjoy! xx :D
> 
> This fic is based on the song by Ruth B called "In My Dreams." I recommend you listen to it, it's really good! :)

_The lights are bright tonight, the music loud  
A perfect mess that's what surrounds me_

Another night, another skip.

Emma sighs as she places her glass of rum on the bar top. This was her life. She would come to a club to lure the next perp, watch people dance closely against each other and go home to an empty bed and an empty house. 

She wishes she wasn’t so lonely.

She turns around in her seat and spots her latest target and is about to introduce herself when she notices someone staring at her. 

_Then I see you over there, I can't seem to break the stare  
_

Across the dance floor she she sees a man. A very handsome man, she can’t deny it. He has raven black hair, which seems like he’s tried to comb but was unsuccessful, a part of it falling across his forehead and she has the urge to brush it back for him. There’s a stubble on his cheeks that has a hint of red. He’s wearing tight jeans, that don’t hide anything, and a black leather jacket. 

For some reason she just can’t look away. And by the looks of it neither can he. They’ve both been staring at each other for far longer than they should, yet neither can gaze away. She suddenly feels warm and a familiar feeling she thought she’d never feel again rushes through her. 

A feeling she hasn’t felt since she met Neal. 

_Maybe it's 'cause your shirt is my favorite color_  
_Then you walk on over with a smolder_  
_And you hand me your number, I say, "What is this?"_  
_You say, "Love at first sight, it exists"_

He starts making his way through the crowd of dancers toward her, weaving his way through without breaking eye contact the whole time. He comes sauntering over with a smolder on his face, and once he’s standing in front of her she notices the shirt he’s wearing is a deep blue that displays a large amount of chest hair and make his eyes shine brighter.

When she looks into his blue eyes they remind her of the color of the water, something that’s always calmed her. She’s getting lost in his smirk and his too blue eyes, when he finally breaks eye contact. 

She looks down to see he’s holding out a napkin with what looks like his number scrolled on it quickly, but clearly. 

Once they broke eye contact, the spell broke as well. She looks at him confusedly and raises an eyebrow at his confidence.

“What is this?” she asks even though she can clearly see a phone number.

The answer he gives her is not one she was expecting.

“Love at first sight, it exists,” he replies in a soft voice, looking deeply in her eyes. The smirk disappeared and she can only see sincerity.

And he has an accent. 

A sexy accent

Damn. 

She rolls her eyes at his brashness and his cheesy pick up lines. He can probably see her urge to protest written all over her face so before she can even answer he once again pastes on that smolder of his and walks away, leaving her speechless. 

_But I've had my heart broken so many times before  
Yeah, I've walked through so many empty doors_

For a small moment, Emma considers it. Considers calling the handsome blue-eyed stranger. Emma huffs angrily to herself, how could she let him get to her? She just met him, she doesn’t know him. Yet the connection she felt when they both looked at each other was something she couldn’t ignore.

Well, she was going to have to ignore it. She couldn’t let herself get hurt again. She learned the hard way after what Neal did to her that she can only rely on herself. She learned the hard way that no one cares about her. No one. Not Neal, not the Swans, and none of the countless other families she was shuffled between throughout her childhood. A blue-eyed stranger with a cocky attitude and flirty nature wasn’t going to care about her either.   
  
_I start to drive away and smile like I'm insane_  
_How can I feel this way? I don't even know your name_  
_The napkin doesn't say_  
_Then I remember that I vowed not to let anyone enter my heart_  
_I say "What is this?"_  
_I know love at first sight can't exist_

Still, Emma was wrestling with herself as she got into her car. There was just something about his eyes that she couldn’t forget. It was crazy because she’d met him for less than a minute. She didn’t even know his name, he hadn’t written it on the napkin that she read against the voice in the back of her head telling her not to. Yet the way he was looking at her made her feel special. 

She smiles, remembering the warmth and sincerity she could read in his eyes, despite the cockiness. 

She smiles, remembering the sparks tingling on her skin as their hands briefly brushed as he handed over his number.

She smiles, remembering the flicker of hope she saw in his eyes before he once again pasted on the egotistical persona and turned away.

A car honking behind her snaps Emma out of her thoughts. She quickly presses her foot down on the gas pedal and continues on her way home, reprimanding herself for getting caught up in “feelings” for the mysterious stranger. 

She wasn’t going to call him. She couldn’t. Love at first sight didn’t exist, it was just the stuff of fairy tales. And even if it did, it wasn’t for people like her. 

An orphan, somebody easy to leave behind, somebody who wasn’t worth staying for.

Lonely.

Emma blinks back the tears that have formed in her eyes as she parks her car. She curses him for doing this to her. She just needs to sleep, she’ll be fine in the morning. The last thing she sees in her mind before sleep takes her is that familiar smolder on his handsome face. 

* * *

 

 _But if I see you in my dreams tonight_  
_Then maybe you were right_  
_And I'll call you in the morning_

There’s a young blonde haired girl running through the grand halls of a castle, a young black haired boy chasing after her. Their laughs echo off the walls of the brightly lit area from the sunlight coming in from the window.

“Got you!” the boy yells triumphantly, arms around the young girl.

He lets go of her quickly though before she can hurt him, knowing she hates to lose. After a moment his estimation is right as she huffs angrily.

“You always catch me! But one day, I’ll be faster than you!” she says annoyed. 

He just laughs at her. “Maybe you will one day, princess.”

She rolls her eyes, “I told you not to call me that. You’re my best friend, you can call me by my name.” 

The boy sighs, knowing he has no choice against his stubborn friend. 

“As you wish, Emma.”

Emma wakes with a start. That young girl in the dream was her. A princess. She didn’t know who the young boy was, but his eyes looked so familiar, like the set of eyes of someone she’d rather forget.

She doesn’t want to forget him.

Emma throws herself back on her pillow, frustrated. She’s driving herself crazy. That was just a dream, the fairy tale nonsense must be getting into her subconscious. Yet, it didn’t feel like a dream it felt like a memory. 

Maybe she should call him.

The loud sound of her alarm going off breaks her out of thoughts of her dream and wanting to call him and she shakes her head at how stupid she is.

 _Not real, Emma,_ she reminds herself. 

Emma gets out of bed to start a new day, which is probably going to go the same way it always does. 

* * *

 

 _Maybe we'll meet in a different dimension_  
_And you can tell me all the things you didn't mention_

She’s sitting on a bench at the gardens of the castle, holding her best friend in her arms. 

She feels helpless, she doesn’t know what to do. They’ve just been informed that his older brother died, defending their kingdom from the soldiers the Evil Queen was sending their way. 

Emma’s heart broke for him. His brother was a father figure to him since their father left when they were children and he was everything to him.

“Shh,” she tried to soothe him. She didn’t tell him it’s going to be ok because it wasn’t. He wasn’t going to see his brother again. She continued to rock him gently, never letting go. 

They didn’t know how long they were sitting there, but he took comfort in Emma’s arms. She was now all he had left. 

The dream shifts, the two of them standing at the palace gates. Emma was all he had left now, but he wasn’t worthy of her. Not with what he was going to become.

“I’m not the same person anymore, Emma.”

“I know, but let me help you get through this. Please.”

He shakes his head, “I’m sorry.”

He walks away, but it wasn’t easy to deter Princess Emma. She’d given him a few days to cool down, before she went in search of him. Thankfully, he was still in their kingdom and she’d had her guards keep tabs on him. 

Emma had snuck out of the castle, dressed in simple trousers, blouse, and a cloak with a hood to cover her face in case anyone recognized her. 

She made her way to the tavern she knew Killian would be at. She enters to the loud ruckus of people, spotting him at a table. He looked different. Really different. 

He was dressed in black from head to toe: black shirt, black vest, black leather pants, and a large black leather coat. His eyes were rimmed with kohl, his hands decorated with rings, and an earring in his right ear.

Emma stopped in her tracks for a moment, taking in his new look. He looked the complete opposite of the innocent lieutenant she’d grown up with, yet he was no less handsome.

 _“Snap out of it Emma, now isn’t the time,”_ she told herself. 

She walks up to his table and ignores the jealousy she feels at the sight of the two girls seated on either side of him. She knew this wasn’t him and she hoped that she’d read through him correctly and that he shares her feelings. He’s drinking rum and his laugh is forced, but when he catches sight of her the fake laughs stops and he puts his flask down. When it seems like he was just going to sit there and gawk at her, she finally spoke. 

“Get up,” she says in a stern voice. 

Anyone else and he would have scolded them, especially since he’s been trying to gain a reputation as a new pirate. But he couldn’t say no to her, so he does as he’s told and moves past her out the front door. 

Once they’re outside and have some privacy, he finally speaks. 

“If you’ve come here to change my mind, think again. This is who I am now, a pirate,” he says. 

Emma doesn’t say anything for a few moments, her beautiful green eyes flickering across his face. 

“I know. That’s why I didn’t come here to change your mind,” she finally replies.

He cocks an eyebrow, “you’re not?”

She shakes her head. She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes, hoping to hold onto the courage she had when she came. She steps closer to him, invading his space and clasps both of his hands in her smaller ones. She’s still looking down but as she makes up her mind, she looks directly into his eyes.

“I love you,” she tells him with no hesitance in her voice. His eyes widen and his grip on her hands tightens.

“I love you,” she repeats again, “and it doesn’t matter to me who you want to be: the lieutenant, the pirate, it doesn’t matter. I don’t care. Because deep down no matter what role you take, I know the real you, and that’s the boy who is my best friend, who is still there even under all the hurt,” she tells him in a soft voice. 

“I’m not good enough for you, not like this.” he tells her self-deprecatingly. 

“I can’t lose you,” she says desperately. “I won’t.” 

He looks deep into her eyes, seeing the longing and love there. Such a stubborn lass. 

“I love you too, Emma. You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to tell you.”

She smiles at him, caressing his cheek. 

“Don’t leave me,” she says.

“Never.” 

Emma gasps and wakes from yet another dream. This time though she’s freaking out, really freaking out. She’s been having dreams everyday since she met the mysterious stranger last week, but this was the first dream where he was clearly there. Her previous dreams consisted of them growing up and the boy seemed to resemble the man she met, but she wasn’t sure. But this time it was not a younger version that looked like him. It was him! 

The love she saw in his eyes in her dream, the feelings of love somehow now coursing through her.

She couldn’t take it anymore. 

She had to call him. 

She was probably losing her mind, they were just dreams but she couldn’t stop the message her heart was trying to send to her.

To just take a chance this time. 

 _Cause I saw you in my dreams that night_  
_And I knew that you were right_  
_So I called you in the morning_  
_(In the morning, in the morning)_  
_Yeah I saw you in my dreams that night_

She glanced over to see the red numbers on her clock reading it was 2 AM, but she needed to call him before she lost the nerve. Without thinking any longer she picks up the napkin that’s been sitting on her nightstand for a week and dials his number.

She really hopes he’ll answer.

Emma nervously chews on her bottom lip, the longer it takes, the more nervous she becomes. 

 _”Obiously he’s not going to answer, he’s sleeping. It’s the middle of the night,”_ she reprimands herself. She’s so stupid. 

Just as she’s lost hope he might answer, a gruff voice finally answers. 

“Hello,” he answers tiredly.

It’s him. His voice is laced with sleep but she’d recongnize his accent at any time. She can’t seem to speak, her voice caught in her throat.

“Bloody hell it’s the middle of the night and you called to stay quiet. Hello?” he says angrily. 

Emma feels guilty for waking him up. What was she thinking? Before he can hang up she quickly replies, “Um, i-it’s me. The one you gave your number to at the club last week?” her answer coming out as more of a question due to her nervousness.

The man’s voice abruptly changes from fed up to relieved. His tone is now soft, kinder. 

“I’ve been hoping you would call, lass.” 

* * *

 

 _And you took my hands and told me_  
_"I've been waiting for you"_  
_And I told you, "Me too"_

It turns out he lives very close to her and they agree to meet at a coffee shop near them. He arrives before her, sitting at a table and his eyes continuously flick to the front door. Once he spots her he stands up. He has a bright smile on his face and a light in his eyes. Once she comes closer he takes her hand and kisses the back of it. She’s once again overcome with the warm feelings he elicits and she once again feels a spark from the mark of his lips. 

“Killian Jones, at your service milady.”

She rolls her eyes but smiles at his old fashioned language. Such a charmer. 

“Emma. Emma Swan.”

They spend the day at the coffee shop together, speaking endlesly about everything and nothing. 

Once it’s late and the shop is ready to close, they’re forced to finally leave and part ways. 

“I’m so happy you called, Swan. I’ve been waiting for you.”

Emma gazes into his eyes, seeing his sincerity. She smiles at him softly, “me too.”

Slowly, he steps closer and brings his hand to cradle her cheek. He’s looking at her, asking her for permission. He must see the openness she’s trying to show because in the next moment, he brings his lips to hers. 

It’s not rushed, it’s soft and tentative at first. Emma feels like she’s flying and is filled with so much emotion she feels like she’ll drown in the feelings she has for this man. Suddenly, a different warmth flows through her. A stronger one. She breaks the kiss and lets out a gasp and pulls away, closing her eyes at the onslaught of memories flashing through her mind. 

Sitting on her father’s lap on her bed as her mother sits next to them reading her a bedtime story.

The first day she meets a young, raven haired boy who becomes her best friend. 

The days and months following their confessions of love to each other, secretly meeting in the tavern every night.

Emma continuously seeing Killian, even if he turned into a pirate. He was still her best friend and the man she loved. He may put on an act in front of everyone else, but he was still the Killian she knew with her. She wasn’t going to let him go.

The day they decided to tell her parents she was still seeing him and they were in love. 

The day they were all gathered in the throne room, when Regina showed up and sent she and Killian through a portal, to a land with no happy endings. The last thing she saw was the distraught and fearful expressions on her parent’s faces. 

Emma looks up to Killian with wide eyes and she can see the shock on his face as well.

“Emma,” he says reverently.

“Killian,” she says with tears in her eyes. She throws herself into his arms and he easily catches her, burying his face in her neck and breathing her in.  

Before either of them can say anything else a portal suddenly opens and they find themselves sucked through it. They hold onto each other tightly, not wanting to lose each other again. 

They hit a stone cold floor roughly and she hears two gasps of surpise. She looks up to find her parents, rushing at them from their thrones. 

“Emma!” her mother exclaims happily, pulling her daughter into her embrace. Emma hugs her mother back tightly, when she feels her father gather them close and cup the back of her head the way he always does when he hugs her. She holds onto her parents for a long time, happy that all those memories of her being an orphan were just fake. She has parents who love her. She didn’t grow up alone. 

She learns they were gone for three weeks, thankfully not too long. In their absence her parents finally found a way to defeat the Evil Queen once and for all. Even through all the heartache she put her mother through, Snow White’s heart was kind and she couldn’t kill her. They were able to find a way to strip her of her powers forever. They exiled her from the kingdom and hoped to never hear from her again. Before she left they tried to get her to tell them how they could get Emma back, but she refused to tell them and they’ve been searching for ways to find Emma since they lost her.

Regina’s curse was a good one. She punished Snow and Charming by taking away their daughter. She punished Emma for making her believe no one loved her. She thought she was an orphan and that a person named Neal had betrayed her. But none of it was true. She punished Emma by separating her from her true love. What the Evil Queen didn’t count on however was the power of true love and no matter how hard she tried to separate Emma and Killian, they still found each other in the strange realm. 

“I dreamed about you,” Emma tells him. 

They are lying on their sides facing each other on her bed. 

“As did I,” he whispers. He brings their entwined hands up and kisses hers. She closes her eyes at his gentle touch. 

“I thought they were dreams, but they were memories. Memories of us,” she says as she runs her fingers through his hair, pushing back the pieces falling on his forehead the way she wanted to when she met him at the club.

“Aye. I had the same ones.” 

“No matter what, we’ll always find each other. Right, Killian?”

“Aye, my love,” he says, placing a loving kiss on her forehead. “Always.”

They fall asleep in each other’s arms, taking comfort of finally being together again.

* * *

 

 _Yeah I saw you in my dreams that night_  
_If I see you in my dreams tonight_

Killian dreams that night of a blonde, curly haired boy with blue eyes and a dark haired, green-eyed girl on a ship with he and Emma. 

“Papa, up!” the young girl commands, holding her arms out to her father. 

When Killian wakes up to blonde hair tickling his nose, the solid weight of Emma in his arms, and his dream still swarming in his mind, he knows he has a very important question to ask King David today. 


End file.
